Monthly Archives: February 2014

Okay, so this getting-people-to-read-your-frikkin-book thing is tough. Tougher than I thought – and I went into this thinking it would be tough. I went into this the way Rocky went in with Apollo – you know, thinking “it’ll be hard, but winnable.” Turns out it was more like Rocky stepping into the ring with Apollo sporting a pair of Uzis. Ouch.

So after doing all the activities that I understood you needed to do as a dang rookie, (blogs, websites, Goodreads, social media of every sort, launches etc.) I’m still left with that sense that the book is out there like the speck in Horton Hears a Who! A pink dot in a sea of pink dots.

But to my credit, I’ve tried a number of inventive approaches as well: I tried crossing my arms and sulking – even while holding my breath – which turned out to be somewhat less effective than I’d hoped. I tried cussing at the book, and even added a quick flip of the bird. Also largely ineffective. And let’s not forget glaring at random people on my daily drive to work. (That didn’t work either, but it kinda felt good).

So, with all that creativity failing to meet the mark, I’m left with one more option: call in the pros.

No. Not hookers. I’m talking about PR people.

I’ve spent some time looking at options in that area, at websites and pitches, but I keep coming back to the same question: as an individual with comparatively shallow pockets (as compared to a corporation with an actual marketing budget), can I really hope to move the needle with a modest investment of cash? I don’t know. I just don’t know.

But I think I have to try.

And I’m open to the wisdom of the masses here: do you/have you invested in PR activities to support your book? Is there a critical mass of cash that can actually shift the needle? Or is that one of those questions like “how long is a piece of string?”